


Perspectives

by My_Alter_Ego



Series: White Collar Discussions [6]
Category: White Collar
Genre: Bromance, Distrust, Escapes, Gen, Paroled Felon, Work Release, Worry, captures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 04:55:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21010073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Alter_Ego/pseuds/My_Alter_Ego
Summary: So, as the story goes, Peter manages to capture Neal and send him up the river for almost four years. Then, after a clever jail break, he has to do it all over again and snag a heartbroken and worried lover. Of course, then there’s the infamous deal, and this short story highlights the fact that not everyone is happy about that development.





	Perspectives

The old cat and mouse game had been resurrected once again. But this time, it was short-lived, encompassing a matter of hours rather than years. Peter quickly tracked his quarry to an empty apartment and tipped Neal’s king. It was all rather anticlimactic, but, nonetheless, Peter found himself congratulating the young felon for his impressive escape from a maximum security prison. Caffrey just shrugged and looked modest, so that was an unexpected response to Peter’s praise.

On the way down the stairs to the van that would take him back to jail, Neal regaled his nemesis with tales of other dramatic and stupendous escapes by inmates over the years. He highlighted the exploits of John Dillinger using a fake wooden gun, El Chapo crawling through a ventilation system in a Mexican high security prison, and even Henri Charriere, AKA Papillion, floating away from a penal colony in French Guyana on a raft made from coconuts. Neal was ticking off the examples, one after the other, and would have been counting them on his fingers if his hands weren’t cuffed behind his back. From Peter’s perspective, the guy could have been a young, enthusiastic college professor giving a lecture to a Criminal Justice class studying fantastic tales of failed incarcerations around the world.

“But it wasn’t that complicated for you today,” Peter reminds the young man. “You were brazen enough to simply walk out the front door.” Although Neal shrugs yet again, this time he rewards Peter with a real smile. As Peter watched the taillights of the Marshal’s vehicle merge into traffic, he felt a bit disappointed. It had been too easy, so maybe that’s why he had agreed to meet with Neal in one week.

Of course, Peter was tempted, even after he initially blew off the recaptured felon regarding a partnership cemented around a tracking anklet. But the knowledge that Neal could recognize a valuable piece of evidence from a sliver of something akin to colored cellophane reeled Peter in like a fish on a line. Maybe the Federal agent was doomed from the start because of his fascination with this enthralling and very talented criminal. They certainly had a history. For whatever reason, Peter took the plunge and hoped he wouldn’t regret it.

Now, weeks later, he began conducting an experiment, and he found that he had acquired many skeptical critics during the testing process. He had dragged Neal Caffrey out of prison, given him an access badge that got him in the door of the Federal Building, and even assigned him a desk smack dab in the middle of hostile territory. The cheeky felon’s first intimidating encounter was to stand in front of Reese Hughes looking innocently sincere as he tolerated a stern, daunting lecture regarding his future conduct.

“Listen up, Caffrey,” the old man said with a frown. “You might be able to charm the pants off an unsuspecting mark, but that’s not going to happen here. If you try to play it fast and loose, I will bury you so deep in the permafrost, they’ll never find your frozen body. Got it?”

“Yes, Sir, you’ve made your threat abundantly clear,” Neal had said with a deferential little smile before he was summarily dismissed.

After Neal swanned back down to his niche in the bullpen, Hughes had then turned his attention to his ASAC. “Peter, I have grave reservations about this little project of yours,” Hughes groused. “Why are you putting your reputation, and mine, on the line for this snot-nosed little opportunist. You’re letting the fox into the hen house, and I really do not wish to look like a horse’s ass at this late date in my career.”

“Reese, Neal’s smart and savvy regarding the criminal mind set. He could be a great asset,” Peter argued. “Besides, he’s young and I think I can turn him around.”

Hughes just raised his eyebrows. “Even baby rattlesnakes are venomous, Peter. Make sure you don’t get bitten.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Clinton Jones had his own misgivings that first week after Caffrey took root in the bullpen. Jones had been brought up in a strict household where actions had consequences. After a stint in the Naval Academy, his respect for order was solidified. He was by the book all the way. It was obvious that this felon didn’t consider the rule book relevant, and that rankled Jones. Caffrey had committed a ton of crimes, so he deserved to spend years in the brig for breaking the law. He shouldn’t be showing up in a sharp vintage suit each day with a coffee cup in his hand like he belonged at the FBI and was part of the team. He had no idea what he was doing even though he gave a fairly good impersonation of being clued in. But then, adaptability was his trademark. Caffrey was extremely believable when playing a role and gaining a person’s trust. He had approached Jones just two days into the charade and offered to buy him a drink after work.

“Caffrey, let me just put this out there, front and center,” Jones had growled. “I don’t like you.”

“But you don’t even know me,” Neal argued.

“No, I don’t,” Jones acknowledged, “but I know enough about you. Don’t try and play me by attempting to finagle your way into my personal space. I have to abide your presence during the workday, but my down time is off limits, and you’re way over the line for even suggesting it.”

“Fair enough,” Neal said with his charming smile. “But if you ever change your mind, the offer is still good anytime in the future.”

The Federal Government, just like the military, has a chain of command. Jones waited just one more day before approaching Agent Burke. Jones knew that his superior had an open-door policy, and he always listened and evaluated input from his team. Clinton could only hope that his boss would hear him out and place some credence in his theory.

“Agent Burke, I have some reservations about working with Caffrey,” he began earnestly.

Peter sat back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. “I’m sure that you do, Jones. It’s a very unique situation for everyone, including Neal. Please be honest and explain your concerns to me.”

“Well, Sir, I’ll just enumerate the bullet points to save time,” Jones replied. “He’s a convicted felon who managed to avoid paying the piper for most of his crimes. We know he was responsible for more than the bonds, but we couldn’t prove it.”

“That’s true,” Peter replied. “Please go on.”

“That ankle monitor is a joke, and everybody knows it, including Caffrey. He’ll take off when it suits him,” Jones said next.

“That’s probably true, as well,” Peter agreed. “Anything else?”

“Well, I guess my biggest concern is that you’re allowing an enemy to get a look at our strategies here at the FBI,” Jones answered. “In war, you keep tactical info under wraps, and everything boils down to a ‘need to know’ basis. That’s just good military practice.”

“I can see why you may be worried,” Peter remarked softly. “But give this some thought, Jones. We’re getting a peek at Neal’s playbook, as well. The guy is ingeniously brilliant and we could learn a lot from him. I appreciate your concern and I get it. I’m not entirely sure this experiment will pan out, but I think it’s worth the risk.”

“You’re in charge, Sir,” Jones said softly. “Thanks for hearing me out.”

Before Jones managed to escape out the door, Peter’s words stopped him in his tracks. “In the future, Jones, please feel comfortable calling me Peter.”

“Yes, Sir,” Jones automatically answered gruffly before he could stop his ingrained response.

~~~~~~~~~~

Diana Berrigan knew that she had garnered both Peter Burke’s respect as well as his faith in her professional abilities while she toiled in what was once a ‘good old boys’ club. Her boss didn’t play politics, and his conduct wasn’t a fabricated ruse so that he could be deemed politically correct regarding her gender or her sexuality. Peter was a straight shooter, so she was all in with her loyalty and her admiration of him. He was a very smart man who thought out of the box to get the job done. He didn’t demand anything of his subordinates that he didn’t expect of himself. However, Diana wondered if he wasn’t pushing the envelope a bit with this Caffrey business.

To be fair, Caffrey seemed to be good at catching on fast and learning the ropes. He usually sat quietly at his desk not causing any waves while getting the lay of the land. Only rarely did he glance in her direction and offer a tentative smile, but he never approached her and tried to make nice. Maybe Peter had made him aware that his devastatingly good looks and charm would be lost on her. Nonetheless, Diana had watched the new hire and her boss closely that first week, and what she saw could be troubling. Peter had seemed to morph into a hovering helicopter parent, worrying that his kid was going to screw up. So far, so good, but it was still early days in this saga that could turn into a fiasco down the road. Diana felt comfortable speaking from her heart one morning in Peter’s office.

“Boss, are you sure you want to go down this path with Caffrey?” she said in a forthright manner. “You could be setting yourself up for a world of hurt.”

“Trust has to start somewhere,” Peter responded. “If I gain Neal’s trust, I think that eventually I’ll come out on the winning end of this gamble.”

“Or maybe you’ll be left holding the bag,” Diana remarked. “I know you think he’s a gentleman criminal as well as a pitifully heartbroken lover, but, from experience, we know he changes his personas like a chameleon. Are you sure you’re seeing the real Neal Caffrey and not just what he wants you to see?”

“So, are you saying that you think he’s playing me and has his own agenda?” Peter asked softly. “I would like to believe that you would give me a little more credit. I’m not as gullible as everyone seems to think. I am constantly on guard against becoming too personally invested in Caffrey, and our relationship is strictly all business.”

“Of course, Peter,” Diana backpedaled. “I respect you very much, and I just didn’t want you to get blindsided.”

“I’m appreciative of your loyalty and your candor, Diana,” Peter answered fondly. “While the current arrangement may make the team uneasy, it certainly can’t be any picnic for our resident felon either. The Harvard Crew knows you’re my special protégé, and they take their cues from you. So, maybe you could cut Neal a break, and we can both keep an eye on the Bureau’s new problem child.”

“Sure, Peter. Good talk,” Diana mumbled as she rose and exited the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

At the end of the day, Peter Burke sailed through the bullpen with his coat and briefcase in hand. “Wrap it up Neal; you’re coming home with me for dinner. El requests your discriminating palate to try out a new catering entrée she wants to serve at an upscale function.”

Almost simultaneously, Reese Hughes, Clinton Jones, and Diana Berrigan looked up and frowned. So much for keeping any Caffrey interaction on a strictly formal business footing. All three sighed and worriedly shook their heads in unison. They each envisioned trouble on the horizon that could occur at the drop of a hat. In this case, the hat would be Neal Caffrey’s iconic fedora.


End file.
